Modern warfare is totally different from the wars fought in the past era. Already, the end of the twentieth century is round the corner, the world has seen several great wars waged by the most powerful nations of the world. Modern warfare actually started off with the First World War around 1914. With this war, a new phase began in modern warfare, with changes introduced in the methods and manners of conducting it. War has never been beneficial and never will be even when a country like U. S. A, which professes to uphold human rights, wants to subdue a belligerent Iraq to and force it to toe the line of United Nation resolutions.

The general destruction and disruption of civilian life, leading to unlimited miseries, can never be condoned. This in spite of international conventions, as a result of which we have organization like the red cross, which tries to alleviate the suffering of the stricken and the wounded. But the brutality and misery remains and it is the fallout of nations, who on one hand talk of the world and its countries as a global village and on the other hand quibble about minor matters forgetting the aftermath of the same.

It is doubtful if the politicians of the world can ever eschew this instinct of trying to prove their superiority by going to wars. Warfare is speedier now and so is the mortality due to it. The advancement of science has eliminated the need for hand-to-hand combat and now countries can now fire guided missiles from thousands of kilometers away or drop nuclear bombs from great heights following their path of destruction on their radars, while trying to pinpoint it. But their entire technical marvel has not been able to eliminate the fallout and side effects resulting from the same.

Modern warfare affords very little opportunities for the exhibition of personal valour, skill and gallantry because it has become totally mechanized. It has not been reduced to a matter of skill, strategy and intellect of experts sitting far off, safely. The attacks have become sudden and un -intimidated resulting in constant vigil and readiness to counter attack. This has a nerve racking effect on the combatants with most of the soldiers suffering from nervous breakdowns, shell shocks and other psychological maladies for life. They can never be their normal self again.

The brutality has resulted in towns completely disappearing together with their populations. What happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan and the horror and barbarity of such separations have been relived by the small nation of Vietnam. The other fallout of war is the cost of fighting these wars and the heavy taxes forced on the public due to the heavy expenditure of the war. Modern warfare is destructive to the extreme and we, the future generation, pray for the peace and prosperity of all the nations of the world and a peaceful “Global Village”.